


HBD

by cosmisce



Series: All I Want [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Birthday, Chronic Pain, Coming of Age, Gen, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:40:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26943034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmisce/pseuds/cosmisce
Summary: Nishinoya celebrates his birthday after sustaining a life-changing injury.
Relationships: Nishinoya Yuu & Karasuno Volleyball Club, Nishinoya Yuu & Tanaka Ryuunosuke
Series: All I Want [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1966102
Comments: 1
Kudos: 27





	HBD

The stars are out by the time Tanaka opens the door, footsteps loud on the ripped tatami. 

“Noya-san? Noya, you home?” He doesn’t wait for a response, heading to the bedroom. He is wearing a muted cherry-colored hoodie and jeans that are illuminated in the house’s dim half-light.

“In here, dude,” Nishinoya calls. He has been seated on the floor mindlessly tossing a volleyball up into the air for the past hour, hair flattened against his forehead from a bath. “Did you get the ramen?”

“Hell yeah, I did,” Tanaka says. “Sorry for the delay, practice ran late.”

“Coach has been pretty brutal these days, huh?” Nishinoya grins at him. “Based on your endless muscle complaints.” 

“No, bro, that’s all Kageyama. Dude expects me to jump as high as _Asahi,_ and I’m just—” Tanaka cuts himself off, shooting Nishinoya an apologetic grin. “Enough volleyball. Let’s eat.” 

Tanaka extends Nishinoya a hand, which he accepts as he pushes himself onto his feet. There is a slight fumble as Nishinoya puts weight on his right leg, but it disappears as he pushes past Tanaka into the kitchen.

“This looks so good,” Nishinoya says, as Tanaka unearths the ramen container and slides it across the counter. “Thanks for doing this, Ryuu.” 

“Well, you _are_ the birthday boy,” Tanaka says, before he grins. “Or birthday man, should I say.” Nishinoya matches his enthusiasm, pumping a fist into the air. He starts to respond before he’s cut off by the door bell. He grimaces, his leg spasming its reluctance.

“Mind getting that?” Nishinoya asks, but Tanaka is already bounding out of his seat. 

“I wonder who that could be!” Tanaka’s voice echoes as he disappears into the foyer. Nishinoya strains his ears to hear his friend’s voice but it has since dropped to a whisper. Among a chorus of whispers that has emerged, for unsaid reasons, in his house. 

“Ryuu?” Nishinoya calls, responded to by silence. He groans, hopping off the stool. Pain immediately shoots through his leg, but he ignores it as he limps outside to find his friend. 

What he does not expect is to find his entire team crammed into his foyer.

“Uh...” he says. They are all bundled in their coats, carrying ramen containers and conversing in hushed voices. Hinata is the first to notice him, his smile widening.

“Noya-san!” Hinata says. “Happy birthday!” Nishinoya stares at him, noticing that it is not just their current team, but Daichi, Suga, and Asahi. He feels...

...strange. 

“Thanks, Shouyou...” he says. Nishinoya had come to practice that day, where he’d received some birthday wishes from his friends and helped out during drills. It had been a good day by his standards—birthdays were a casual event in the Nishinoya household—but here his team is. 

He glances at Tanaka, who looks unbearably proud of himself. “You didn’t.”

“Oh yes, I did,” Tanaka says, his grin widening. “It’s your eighteenth birthday. Did you seriously believe that we’re not going to celebrate the hell out of that?” Nishinoya is still for a moment, before he snatches Tanaka’s arm and pulls him into a firm, bone-crushing hug. Tanaka laughs and returns it immediately, just as firm.

“Thanks so much for coming guys,” Ennoshita murmurs, under his breath, imitating Nishinoya. “Oh, no worries, Nishinoya, we’re so happy to come here after our grueling six-hour practice. Thank _you_ for acknowledging our exi—”

“Thanks, guys!” Nishinoya says. “Come on, let’s eat!” He ushers the team into the kitchen. “Tsukishima, you better finish your whole meal this time! Yamaguchi, you too!” He pauses, standing in front of Daichi, Suga, and Asahi. He suddenly feels at a loss for words. 

It’s the first time he’s seen them since the accident. 

“Nishinoya...” Suga asks. “You’ve been doing alright?” 

Usually, the question would grate at him—he has been posed it countless times since June—but coming from Suga, Nishinoya can’t help but feel a little touched.

He looks into the kitchen, where the team is already setting up at the coffee table and island. “Yeah,” he says, and smiles. “How could I not be?” 

The night is easy, passing in traded stories, Nishinoya’s favorite action film (which Ennoshita endures stoically), and a game of Truth or Dare that ends abruptly after Tsukishima and Kageyama share a kiss, which neither of them enjoyed and none of them particularly enjoyed witnessing. Nishinoya struggles to keep his eyes open as the night progresses, about to fall asleep on Tanaka’s shoulder before someone clears their throat.

“Uh, Nishinoya...” Nishinoya opens his eyes to see Asahi carrying a cake, lit candles illuminating the white frosting. He starts, hitting Tanaka on the shoulder to communicate his surprise.

"You got that for me?” The words come out a little dubious. Far-off. 

“Yeah. It’s from one of my favorite bakeries.” Asahi places it in front of him. “Happy birthday, Nishinoya.”

“I...” Nishinoya struggles to feel deserving of this. Seventeen had seen their journey to nationals and the start of his third year. The accident. 

He can begin again, Nishinoya realizes. He’s said it to himself before, in comfort, in denial, in fruitless naivete, but he has never felt it so keenly as he does in this moment. 

“Come on,” Tanaka says. “Make a wish.” 

Nishinoya leans closer, feeling the flame’s heat on his eyelids. His leg aches.

“For a successful Spring Interhigh, of course!” Nishinoya says. He blows out the candles. The room is black for a moment, and then silent, and then still. 

Their eyes adjust. 

"Hell yeah!” Tanaka says, ripping off his hoodie. “We’ll make you proud, Noya!” Nishinoya laughs. They divide the cake.

The team ends up spending the night, some of them heading to their respective houses to procure a futon while the rest spread out on the floor of Nishinoya’s bedroom. Nishinoya finds Tanaka brushing his teeth, wiping his chin as he notices his friend. 

“Hey,” Tanaka says. “How was your day?”

“It was incredible,” Nishinoya says, finding himself lingering at the door. He doesn’t know what he’s about to say until he says it: “I love you, man. No bullshit. I love you.” Tanaka pauses, the toothbrush hanging precariously as he turns to him. He puts his arms around Nishinoya and holds him close. They stay in this position for a while. 

“We’re gonna keep moving forward,” Tanaka says. Something hard to push through emerges in Nishinoya’s throat. He doesn’t speak. 

For here he is—beside his best friend. Both of them, passing through time. And perhaps time passes through them. And perhaps he’ll be alright, someday. 

So why not begin immediately. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is a little rushed--I wrote this late last night, and spent most of today either celebrating Nishinoya's birthday (by eating a Gari-gari kun and dancing around my room to my playlist for him) or seeing my friend (which was itself so gratifying and wonderful). I am honestly not in a great headspace at the moment, partly because I didn't celebrate as much as I wanted to and the day is almost over, but here this fic is, in all its glory. Hope you enjoy it!


End file.
